Senior Akali leader and Zira MLA Hari Singh Zira has reportedly resigned as MLA and senior vice-president of the party. He has also quit the party, according to the reports doing the rounds here.

Senior Akali leader and Zira MLA Hari Singh Zira has reportedly resigned as MLA and senior vice-president of the party. He has also quit the party, according to the reports doing the rounds here.

“Zira, despite being a stalwart in the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), had been denied the cabinet berth, that hit him hard, and he decided to part ways with the SAD,” a close aide of Zira, on condition of anonymity, said.

According to seniority in the party, Zira is almost next to Parkash Singh Badal, but he has been repeatedly ignored while very junior leaders had been rewarded with plum postings in the government, rued a staunch supporter of Zira.

His son Avtar Singh Minna is also reported to have resigned a s chairman of the Punjab Cooperative Bank while his wife Jaswinder Kaur as member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the election that she had won as the party nominee, sources said.

The resignations have been reportedly submitted to party patron Parkash Singh Badal at his residence in Chandigarh, said the reports.

A meeting of his supporters was convened at Zira to chalk out the strategy, sources said.

Zira reportedly enjoys the support of a few other sitting MLAs, including a former minister, besides the former MLAs, who had been feeling ignored by the party leadership for long.